What would you do?

[Davros]

It's a bit long and detailed, but please bear with me [img]smile.gif[/img]

Part 1

I went to my medical insurance people yeasterday to make my first claim in the 10 year history of my insurance (ie since graduation). I got a surprise when told that my light blue members card was only for members with Amblance Cover and that I didn't have comprehensive health insurance unless I had a dark blue card. When I insisted they search their computer they found that they had 2 member numbers for people with the same name, address, date of birth - just one of them has a middle name of James. In short they are both me. Then I get politely told that the Ambulance cover premium was unnecessary beacuse it was cover that was provided under the full comprehensive policy and that through my mistake I had paid about 350 dollars extra to have the same service offered twice. No offers of refund over the years or cancellation of existing policy and refund of it. The only advice I got was that in 10 months time when I get my next renewal notice - don't pay it.

Part II

I get home from that experience to find in the mail a cheque from a different insurance company for damage to my back fence. I stroll next door to my neighbour and we discuss getting the fencing contractor in this Friday. He notices from what is in my hand that my cheque amount for the 15 m of our common amount of fence is the same as he received for the total 23 m of his fence that blew down. The insurance company has overpaid me by 300 dollars. If the neighbour hadn't spotted it I would have simply banked the cheque and paid the contractor and in all liklihood never noticed the overpayment. The fact though is that I am now aware that I have been paid for goods that I do not have. I am also well aware that the insurance company is most unlikely ever to discover their mistake.

Now to the poll with the simple quesion of what would you do?

[ 08-18-2003, 06:22 PM: Message edited by: Davros ]

[Lord Lothar]

It all happened for a reason...everythings balanced out.

[Timber Loftis]

Probably 2 different insurance companies, so it may balance out industry-wise, but not vis-a-vis one entity.

However, trying to be the good samaritan will likely get the whole check recalled, will cause you lots of heartache and headache, and will waste more of the insurer's resources in paying people to fix the paperwork screwup chain that it will save the insurer (300). So, do yourself and the insurer a favor, do what the insurer's phone operator and/or customer representative will tell you to do (wanting to avoid his/her own headache), and just shut up and deposit the darned thing.

[Davros]

Originally posted by Timber Loftis: Probably 2 different insurance companies, so it may balance out industry-wise, but not vis-a-vis one entity. However, trying to be the good samaritan will likely get the whole check recalled, will cause you lots of heartache and headache, and will waste more of the insurer's resources in paying people to fix the paperwork screwup chain that it will save the insurer (300). So, do yourself and the insurer a favor, do what the insurer's phone operator and/or customer representative will tell you to do (wanting to avoid his/her own headache), and just shut up and deposit the darned thing.

I saw you online TL and was trying to pick what your response would be. I had you pegged as an option 4 man buddy. I thought you would be in the "do the right thing, but also don't let those other bastards put one over on you" category [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Timber Loftis]

Originally posted by Davros: I saw you online TL and was trying to pick what your response would be. I had you pegged as an option 4 man buddy. I thought you would be in the "do the right thing, but also don't let those other bastards put one over on you" category [img]smile.gif[/img]

Well, you would have had me pegged if it weren't for the risk factor involved in stirring up the hornets nest. You run a fair risk of delaying any payment, perhaps for months, while they issue a new check -- if they ever do. Worse, you run the risk of gumming up the whole works to the point where you get nothing or, worse, have to fight and waste your time for what you do get.

To be safe, call them up and try to confirm the amount you were paid. If you can do that, you have assured yourself that any mistake on their part is so embedded in their system it will be a Herculean effort to undo.

And, at that point, it really is true that it will cost them MORE money to fix the gaff than simply let you slide with the 300.

For the same sorts of reasons, while it is morally offensive, I suggest you live with what those other bastards did. Again, make a phone call or two and check it out, but I'll bet you can pull and tug all day and never get that money back.

[ 08-18-2003, 06:39 PM: Message edited by: Timber Loftis ]

[johnny]

Take whatever you can davros, that's what they're there for.

[Sir Kenyth]

Bank the check AND harass the medical insurance company for a cancellation and refund. Believe me, they would do no less to you. As a matter of fact, they are. As you are supposed to watch your responsibilities, so are they to watch theirs. The adjuster wrote the claim for X dollars for a reason. It's already settled.

[wellard]

Davros, they all cross insure themselves, so in a way the company is making amends for the other [img]tongue.gif[/img]

and in years to come this company will try and screw you for more anyway. I would only tell them if the amount was larger. say $1000 plus. some companies have a method where by they do not quibble over small amounts of money because it is not cost efficant to recover the money as timber was hinting at.

I have been screwed a few times before by these parasites and I am curantly having issues with one of them (NRMA) over money they have taken from me for a service they did not provide.

[mistral4543]

I chose the last option. Actually, I would still kick up a fuss in the media even if the 2nd event hadn't happened. The way I see it, there's nothing to lose and everything to gain. Even if I didn't get a refund, the company would have to work hard to do damage control/regain its credibility.

[cloud ff7 38]

your like jerry in the one episode of seinfeld everything just balanced out